Agricultural seed planting is typically accomplished by multi-row planters. Each planter includes a plurality of row units adapted for opening a seed furrow, depositing seeds within the furrow, and closing the seed furrow around the seeds. In some cases, each row unit of the planter will also open a fertilizer furrow adjacent to each seed furrow, deposit liquid fertilizer in each fertilizer furrow, and close each fertilizer furrow.
Some planters are equipped or retrofitted to be equipped with fertilizer depositing equipment (e.g., fertilizer furrow opener discs and fertilizer deposit tubes) located on a leading or front side of the planter. Planters so configured can have problems in fields with moist or wet soil. Specifically, disturbing the soil with the fertilizer equipment located in front of the planter gage wheels can cause the moist or wet soil to accumulate on the gage wheels. The soil accumulation increases the effective diameters of the gage wheels and causes the planter to run too shallow with respect to the depositing of the seed in the seed furrows.
Planters are increasing in size, resulting in planters with sides or wings that fold upwardly and/or upwardly and forwardly. Locating the fertilizer depositing equipment on the front or leading end of the planter can result in a planter that is still overly large after being folded or incapable of being folded without the removal of the fertilizer depositing equipment.
Planters are increasingly used in no-till situations, resulting in the planter traversing fields with substantial deviation in the field surface and a substantial amount of obstructions (e.g., debris, clods, stubble, old furrows, etc.). Furthermore, in certain Midwest farm areas, ditches must be plowed in fields between planting seasons to facilitate the drainage of spring showers from the fields. Most planters have proven ineffective in such rough field surface conditions. It is not unusual for the use of planters in rough field conditions to result in seed depths that radically range between too deep and too shallow. Also, it is not unusual for the use of planters in such field conditions to result in the planter components being damaged.
There is a need in the art for a planter capable of providing liquid fertilizer in rough fields without adverse impact on seed depth and damage to planter components. There is also a need in the art for a planter capable of providing liquid fertilizer and still able to be folded without requiring removal of the fertilizer providing equipment.